Begin Again
by brokenbride
Summary: The Finchel version of Begin Again by Taylor Swift. Rachel is Kurt's roommate, and he sets her up on a date with his brother to help her get over a bad breakup. One-Shot. (Doesn't actually contain the song.)


Title: Begin Again

Summary: The Finchel version of Begin Again by Taylor Swift. Rachel is Kurt's roommate, and he sets her up on a date with his brother to help her get over a bad breakup. One-Shot.

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or Begin Again. Each belongs to their respective person or what-not.

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Rachel wasn't sure what she was doing. She'd tried on at least ten different outfits, but nothing seemed to work right. None of them seemed to be what she was looking for, which was starting to become a problem as she neared the end of her wardrobe. Figuring that there had to be at least a glimmer of hope in her mess of clothes, she decided to question a higher authority.

"Kurt?" Rachel asked, popping her head out of her room.

"Did you change your mind about letting me help you pick out your outfit?" Kurt asked, not bothering to take his eyes off the TV.

"Maybe..." Rachel trailed off. She knew that she'd be forking over most of her opinions, but right now she didn't have much choice. "Okay, yes."

"I want to hear you say it." Kurt's wasn't going to make this easy.

"I need your help with picking something out to wear. I have no idea what I'm doing." Rachel conceded.

"That was easier than I thought it would be. You must really need my help." Kurt laughed, turning the TV off and making his way to her room. "Let's see the damage."

Ten minutes later they were in the middle of a standoff between two different dresses. One, Rachel loved, while Kurt despised it. The other Kurt insisted she could 'work' if she tried.

"Kurt, it's my date. I like this dress." Rachel insisted, twirling again in front of her mirror. She'd almost forgotten about it, but it had been the last thing she'd found in her closet.

"Why did you even ask for my help if you're going to reject every good piece of advice that I give you?" Kurt threw his hands up in the air. "Although, I'm afraid to say that your choice is starting to grow on me."

"See? It's not that bad." Rachel smiled, straightening herself out and checking the clock on her nightstand. "Crap, I don't have any time to do my hair."

"Just wear it down and keep it simple. You don't want to seem like you're trying too hard, plus my brother likes to keep it simple. Why else do you think you're meeting at a cafe instead of going on a real date?" Kurt said, laying back on the bed and examining his nails.

"Okay, so what shoes?" Rachel asked, pulling out a pair of heels and a pair of black flats. "I'm thinking heels."

"Go with the heels. You'll need them, Finn's a giant." Kurt laughed.

Rachel nodded her head and slipped the shoes on. She walked to her vanity, touching up her makeup and fixing her hair before turning back to Kurt for his full opinion.

"You look great, Berry, but you should get going. Good luck walking in those heels." Kurt said, giving her a small smile and thumbs up.

Rachel smiled brightly, picked up her purse and her iPod, and made her way out of the apartment, locking the door behind her. She quickly slipped her ear buds into her ears and made the trek to Joe's Café on foot.

It was a five-minute walk, but Rachel didn't mind. It gave her plenty of time to think about everything that had been going on in her life, and what had led her to making this date in the first place. She was genuinely happy that Kurt had set this whole thing up. He'd seem to think that this was the perfect thing for her.

"_Rachel, you've been moping for way too long." Kurt said, plopping himself down on the couch next to Rachel who was watching American Idol on the DVR._

"_I'm not moping." Rachel grumbled, casting a long sideways glance his way._

"_You and Jesse broke up two months ago." Kurt reminded her._

"_We were together for six months, Kurt. That's half a year." Rachel shot back. She was not in the mood for this conversation, yet Kurt was always trying to get her to talk about her relationship with Jesse._

"_I know that. I'm just saying that it's about time you get back out there." _

"_I'm not ready to date anyone yet. Why can't you get that through your thick skull?" Rachel shifted in her seat, casting her angry glare directly onto Kurt._

_Kurt didn't back down. "You keep saying that, but that's just because you don't know what a functional relationship is like. I know you don't like to admit it, but what you and Jesse had was not exactly a 'great' relationship. This is why it's so easy for me to tell you that you're better off without him."_

_Rachel didn't say anything; she knew that Kurt was right, her and Jesse's relationship had been anything but healthy, but she wasn't about to admit it aloud. She figured that the best course of action at this point was to move to a different subject._

"_And who exactly would you suggest I go out with?" Rachel asked._

"_Well, my brother just moved to New York." Kurt smiled; glad to have her at least considering the possibility of a date._

Rachel stopped outside of Joe's and looked inside. There were quite a few people in there, but she didn't recognize any of them. She figured that she would get her first, if Finn even showed up at all. She slipped her ear buds out of her ears and slid them in her purse, and after double-checking her appearance in the reflective glass she made her way inside.

She had just planned to get a table near the door, but stopped when she noticed someone stand up as she entered the building. She quickly turned her attention to the man across the room.

It had to be Finn; no one else would be waving to her. He was tall, which once again made Rachel glad that she'd picked the heels to wear. She'd never been able to wear them with Jesse, as he was too close to her height. She could tell that they would be no problem with Finn. She quickly shook her head to clear her thoughts and walked forward with her chin tucked close to her chest, keeping her eyes cast down until she reached the table.

"Rachel?" Finn asked, taking a step towards her and holding out his hand.

"The one and only." Rachel said quickly, wishing her cheeks weren't as warm as she reached her hand out to shake his.

Finn smiled at the contact, noting the pink tint that graced her cheeks. He moved quickly to her side and pulled out her chair. "I'm glad you could make it. Kurt has been telling me all about you." He took her coat from her and motioned for her to sit down. As soon as she sat down he laid her coat down in another seat before gently pushing her seat in and moving to sit across the table from her.

"Oh my, I hope it's all been good." Rachel was really starting to like where this date was going. She'd never had anyone help her with her seat before, so she didn't know what to think about it.

"Oh, yes. All good." Finn said quickly, not sure what to say. "He said that you're going to school at NYADA. That's quite an accomplishment."

Rachel could feel her cheeks start to warm again, and cursed herself for it. It'd been so long since she'd heard a genuine compliment from someone that wasn't family or a friend, so it hit close to home. "Thank you." Rachel couldn't think of anything else to say, which was very unlike her. Normally she wasn't this shy, but for some reason she was having a hard time opening up.

Finn searched for something else to say, so he went with what he knew; food. "Would you like something to drink or eat? I was going to order."

Rachel smiled and nodded her head. "Green tea with honey, please. If they have their organic raisin muffins, then I'll have one of those, but if not then just the tea."

"Coming right up!" Finn said, doing his best impersonation of a barista before walking to the counter to order.

Rachel was very pleased with how the date was going. It had never been this way with Jesse. He would have told her to get their orders and then spent the whole time talking about his career and how he was '_this close _to making it'. Rachel wasn't sure how to make any conversation, but she figured that she'd need to figure it out once Finn came back.

There wasn't a whole lot that she knew about him, so she figured she'd start there. There was no excuse for her to be so shy; after all she never used to be this way. She just had to get out of her shell.

Rachel's thoughts were interrupted when Finn came back to the table, setting her tea and muffin in front of her. "Here you go. One green tea and raisin muffin."

"Thank-you." Rachel said, smiling up at him.

Finn moved to sit back in his chair, taking a big bite out of his chocolate chip muffin as he did. "So, what is it that you do?" He asked as he chewed his food.

"I'm going to school at NYADA. When I'm not in class I wait tables at Giorgio's down the street." Rachel answered simply, picking a raisin off the top of her muffin and plopping it in her mouth. "What do you do?"

"Right now I'm not doing much of anything. I'm having a hard time finding my niche, so I've been doing odd jobs around the city. It's amazing what you can find to do in this city." Finn replied.

"What do you do in your spare time?" Rachel asked, trying to keep the conversation flowing.

"I'm in a band. I'm the drummer and sometimes I do vocals." Finn smiled a little, taking pride in his band.

"That's awesome. What's your band's name?" Rachel asked.

"You're going to laugh." Finn warned, putting his hands up in the air.

"Is it that bad?" Rachel asked again, her lips pulling up into a small smirk. "Come on, tell me."

"Okay…the band's name is Quatch." Finn said quickly that Rachel wasn't sure that she'd actually heard him right.

"Quatch?" Rachel repeated, trying to make sure that she'd heard correctly.

"That's right. It wasn't my idea to name the band that, it was actually my buddy Puck's idea. He's the lead singer and my choice was vetoed, and somehow we ended up with Quatch." Finn laughed loudly.

Rachel was trying her hardest not to break out into hysterics. "Quatch is a great name though. Very…manly?" Rachel was trying to find something nice to say, but was having a hard time with what she was given.

Finn laughed loudly again, throwing his head back with his whole body shaking. "That's what Puck said too! He said that it was short for Sasquatch or something, and that the name demanded respect."

Rachel could not hold her laughter in any longer as she joined Finn in his laughter. It felt great to have told a joke and have the anticipated reaction. Jesse had never gotten her jokes before, but then again he'd always had such a dry sense of humor.

Rachel stopped laughing as she took control of her train of thought. This was not the place to start thinking about Jesse. She quickly picked up a napkin and wiped her eyes and mouth as she tried to contain herself.

"So what kind of music do you play?" Rachel asked once Finn had stopped laughing too.

"We do a lot of different stuff. Mostly we're rock and roll, but sometimes we change it up and play other stuff. We've done a lot of cover songs also. Puck likes to stick with the more recent things, but I'm more of a sucker for eighties hair bands. I also have a small obsession with James Taylor, but Puck doesn't appreciate him nearly as much." Finn smiled, his eyes lighting up as he talked about music.

"You like James Taylor?" Rachel asked, a little taken aback. She'd grown up listening to him, and she was pretty sure that she'd never once met anyone her age that liked James Taylor.

"Oh yeah, the guy is an icon. I mean, seriously, he's kind of a living legend. Most people only know him for 'You've Got a Friend', but personally I like most of his older stuff. I think I have all of his records." Finn smiled, but then frowned as his phone began to ring in his pocket.

He quickly pulled the phone out and checked the text message that had just come through. "Oh great, that's my roommate. She locked herself out of the apartment and needs me to let her back inside."

Rachel was disappointed, but was quick to cover it up. "That's fine, I need to get home and work on my solo for school." She gave Finn a quick smile as she stood up to leave, putting her coat back on.

"Can I walk you home?" Finn asked quickly, not wanting this date to end. "If you don't mind." He said quickly after so he wouldn't sound like a creep.

"Wont your roommate be mad if you don't hurry?" Rachel asked.

"You live with Kurt. It's kind of on the way to my apartment." Finn lied, knowing that his apartment was really five blocks in the opposite direction, but really wanting to keep talking with Rachel.

"Okay, that's great." Rachel smiled, her disappointment disappearing without a trace.

They exited the café quickly, turning in the direction of Rachel's apartment. Rachel wasn't sure what to talk about, she'd never had to really fill a void of conversation before. When she'd been with Jesse he'd always been so busy talking about himself that'd she'd never had a chance to really talk anyway.

For some reason Rachel felt the need to bring up that she hadn't been on a date in such a long time. She was so used to talking about hers and Jesse's relationship that the next few words just sort of slipped out.

"It's been a long time…"

"I can't believe that…"

Finn stopped talking at the same moment that she did. They had both been starting a conversation, but had started at the same time. Rachel gave a small laugh and motioned with her hand for Finn to continue on with whatever he had been saying.

"I can't believe that it's almost Christmas." Finn laughed, his entire face lighting up as he looked around at the city around them. "There's not much else I like more than Christmas."

"I know what you mean. I love this season; the music, the parties and most of all ice skating in Central Park." Rachel smiled, plunging her hands into the pockets of her coat and doing a small spin while she walked.

"We have a tradition at the Hummel-Hudson house. Kurt started it actually."

"Really?" Rachel asked, curiosity overtaking her. "What is it?"

"On the first day of December we all pick out our favorite Christmas movie and then we watch them all on that day."

"That sounds amazing. Which movie do you pick?" Rachel asked, slowing her pace as she realized how close they were getting to her apartment.

"Elf." Finn laughed. "I'm a huge fan of Will Ferrell and Zooey Deschanel is hott. You kind of remind me of her actually."

Rachel was glad that there was a slight chill to the wind because she could feel her cheeks warm at the compliment. "Elf is a great movie." She mentally kicked herself at how stupid she sounded.

"What's your favorite Christmas movie?" Finn asked as they stopped in front of her apartment building.

Rachel had to think about it. There were a lot of different Christmas movies that she loved, but there were only a few that really stuck out at her. "I don't think I have a favorite, but if I had to pick three they would be The Family Stone, It's a Wonderful Life, and Gremlins."

"Okay that's weird." Finn laughed, once again throwing his head back as his body shook.

Rachel was confused. She hadn't noticed anything wrong with what she had said. "What is weird?"

"Those three movies are the ones that everyone else picks out. My mom loves The Family Stone, which I don't understand since it's kind of a depressing story. Kurt always picks It's a Wonderful Life, which is because he's kind of obsessed with the older movies. Then Burt always picks Gremlins, probably because it's got a lot of action in it." Finn explained, his laughter dying down to small chuckle.

"That's crazy." Rachel wasn't sure what else to say.

"It really is." Finn smiled. "Well, I guess I should be going, Santana's probably going to tear me a new one since I've taken so long to bring her the key."

"I had a great time tonight. I hope we can do this again." Rachel said, reaching up to give Finn a small hug. She was instantly lost in his cologne, and before she could talk herself out of doing it, she turned and gave him a small kiss on the cheek.

"I had a great time too." Finn replied, his checks growing a little warm. "I have your number and you have mine, so I'll talk to you later." And with that he turned and walked around the block and was gone.

Rachel smiled to herself as she let herself into her apartment building, nearly running up to her apartment on the fifth floor, which was no small feat in her heels. Once she had burst through the doors Kurt was on her for details.

"So…do you like him?" He asked.

Rachel smiled her biggest smile. "I do. I like him a lot."

"I knew you would. Now I want you to give me all the details, don't leave anything out. I want to know everything." Kurt was jumping up and down with excitement.

"I'll be sure to do that, just as soon as I get out of these clothes and into something more comfortable." Rachel replied, walking into her room and closing the door behind her, leaving Kurt waiting in the living room.

Once she was inside her room she made her way to her bed and threw herself down on the mattress. She pulled her iPod out of her purse next to her and scrolled through her music collection before settling on a James Taylor song. She figured a few more minutes wouldn't kill Kurt as she listened to the music and reveled in the success of her date.

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A/N: Whew…it's done! I hope you liked it. Please review and let me know what you thought. Thank-you!


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